Call for business advice
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Latest information and advice for small businesses.
With the situation changing at an alarming rate it can be difficult for businesses to keep up-to-date with the latest advice, developments and support that is available. We have created this page which we will be updating on a regular basis to try and keep you informed through this national crisis.
Below is a summary of the support that is currently available to businesses and how you can access it. You can find additional information on the Gov.uk website.
Business Support:
- Kickstart Scheme & Apprenticeships
- Local Restrictions Support Grant
- Hospitality & Tourism Support
- Self-Employed Income Support Scheme
- Small Business Bounce Back Loan Scheme
- Business Interruption Loan Scheme
- Job Retention Bonus Scheme
- Job Retention Scheme
- VAT Deferral
- Income Tax Deferral
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- Time to Pay Service
Additional Information:
Kickstart Scheme & Apprenticeships
Kickstart Scheme
Fully funded 6 month work placements for those aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment.
Any business in Great Britain can apply. Funding available for each job will cover 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus the associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. Employers may top wages up if they wish but are under no obligation to do so.
There is no limit on the amount of placements each business can accept but there is a minimum of 30.
For small businesses who employ less than 30, they can make a joint application through a registered intermediary.
For businesses in Devon, BIP will be acting as a intermediary so if you don’t yet employ staff or employ less than 30, please contact us to register your interest. Once we have the 30 placements required we will submit the application.
Please contact us to register your interest in the Kickstart Scheme to take on a placement.
Trainees & Apprenticeships
The government will pay £1,000 for each new trainee aged 16 to 24 that an employer takes on to provide high quality training and work experience.
In addition, the government will introduce a new payment of £2,000 to employers in England for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, and a £1,500 payment for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over, from 1st August 2020 to 31st January 2021.
These payments will be in addition to the existing £1,000 payment the government already provides for new 16-18 year-old apprentices.
Local Restrictions Support Grant
What is it?
Businesses required to close in England due to local or national restrictions will be eligible for the following grant payments:
- For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks
- For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks
- For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.
Who is it for?
To be eligible for the grant, businesses must:
- Occupy and be liable for business rates on a property that appears in the Local Rating List on 4 November 2020
- Have been trading on 4 November 2020
- Have been open as usual on 4 November and providing in-person services to customers from their premises; and
- Mandated to close from 5 November to visiting members of the public for a consecutive period of no less than 28 days as a result of regulations made under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1994.
Businesses from the hospitality industry, including pubs, restaurants, and holiday accommodation are included in the list of those eligible for the grant.
Those which provide personal care, such as hairdressers, beauty salons, and many businesses in the leisure industry such as gyms, swimming pools, and soft play centres are also on the list.
If a business (included in the list) is substantially closed but still able to offer some click and collect or take-away service, it is still eligible for this business support grant.
A full list of all the businesses that were instructed to close, and those on the exemption list can be found on the Government’s business advice pages.
How do I apply?
Grant applications can be applied for through your local authority following the links below:
Hospitality & Tourism Support
VAT Cuts
There will be a temporary VAT cut for food and non-alcoholic drinks from 15 July 2020 to the end of March 2021 to support businesses and jobs in the hospitality sector.
VAT will be reduced to 5% and will apply to supplies of food and non-alcoholic drinks from restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés and similar premises across the UK.
There will also be a temporary VAT cut for accommodation and attractions – From 15 July 2020 to 31 March 2021, to support businesses and jobs.
The VAT reduction to 5% will apply to accommodation bookings and admission to attractions across the UK.
Self-Employed Income Support Scheme
What is it?
HMRC will pay 80% of average trading profits from November 2020 to January 2021 up to a maximum of £7,500.
This will work the same as the previous two grants, being distributed in a single payment. The third grant will open for claims from 30 November.
The grant amount to cover the period from February 2021 to April 2021 has not yet been set.
Who is it for?
Anyone who makes over 50% of their earnings through self-employment, with average profits of £50,000 or less and whose business has been adversely affected by coronavirus is eligible for the scheme.
You must also have traded in 2019-20, be currently trading at the point of application (or would be except for COVID 19) and intend to continue to trade in the 2020-2021 tax year.
HMRC will use the average profits from tax returns in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 to calculate the size of the grant.
How do I apply?
HMRC have started contacting those who are eligible for the scheme. You can also go online and check your eligibility.
You will then need to fill in an online form, at which point the grant will be paid directly into your bank account.
You can start your claim here (from 30 November) – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-self-employment-income-support-scheme
Additional Information
You can find further information on the government website.
Small Business Bounce Back Loan Scheme
What is it?
Access to loans of up to 25% of the turnover of the business up to a maximum of £50,000. The loans will be 100% backed by the government and interest free for 12 months. After 12 months the interest rate will be fixed at 2.5%.
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme is open until 31 January 2021
Who is it for?
The loan scheme is open to any size business though it has been aimed at small businesses and sole traders. The business must not have been an ‘undertaking in difficulty’ as of 31st December 2019.
How do I apply?
The loans will be administered through the banks via a simple, standard form with no complex lending criteria and should be processed within days. Loan terms will be up to 6 years.
Additional Information
If you have already obtained a coronavirus business interruption loan of £50,000 or less, you can convert it to a bounce back loan.
Business Interruption Loan Scheme
What is it?
Access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million and for up to 6 years. Interest and fees will be free for the first 12 months.
The Business Interruption Loan Scheme is open until 31 January 2021
Who is it for?
All businesses with a turnover of less than £45 million per year. You must also generate more than 50% of your turnover through trading activity.
How do I apply?
There are 40 accredited lenders who can offer the scheme listed on the British Business Bank website.
Additional Information
The government will provide a guarantee of 80% on any loan. Remember that this will need to be paid back and you are liable for paying off the balance of the loan.
Loans of under £250,000 will not require a personal guarantee (and lenders are banned from asking for one). You also do not need to be disqualified from commercial lending in order to qualify.
Here is further information on the Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Job Retention Bonus Scheme
What is it?
One-off payment of £1,000 paid to employers for every employee who remains continuously employed from November 2020 to the end of January 2021.
Who is it for?
It is available to all employers. Employees must earn above the Lower Earnings Limit (£520 per month) on average between November and the end of January 2021.
How do I apply?
Payments will be made from February 2021. Further detail about the scheme will be announced by the end of July.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
What is it?
HMRC will pay 80% of employees’ salaries who would otherwise have been laid off, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.
This scheme has been extended to run until 31st March 2021.
Businesses will have flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work on a part time basis or furlough them full-time, and will only be asked to cover National Insurance and employer pension contributions.
The scheme will be reviewed in January to see whether the economy has improved enough to ask employers to contribute more.
As part of the revised scheme, anyone made redundant after 23rd September can be rehired and put back on furlough.
Who is it for?
All businesses with employees on their payroll, or who made employees redundant after 23rd September 2020.
How do I apply?
You will have to submit the following information to HMRC through a new online portal which is now live:
- Your name and phone number
- Your bank account number and sort code
- Your Self-Assessment UTR (Unique Tax Reference), Company UTR or CRN (Company Registration Number).
- The name, employee number and National Insurance number for each of your furloughed employees.
- The total amount being claimed for all employees and the total furlough period.
If you use an agent who is authorised to act for you for PAYE purposes, they will be able to make a claim on your behalf, so please speak to them now.
Follow the link below to make a claim.
Additional Information
You will need to designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change.
Further details are available on the .Gov website.
VAT Deferral
What is it?
VAT payments will be deferred for 3 months, from 20th March to 30th June 2020.
Who is it for?
All businesses.
How do I apply?
This is done automatically so you don’t need to do anything. Customers who normally pay by direct debit should cancel their direct debit with their bank if they are unable to pay.
Additional Information
Business who deferred their VAT bills no longer have to pay a lump sum in full at the end March 2021 and,will be able to make 11 smaller interest-free payments during the 2021-22 financial year.
Income Tax Deferral
What is it?
Self-assessment tax payments have been deferred until 31st January 2021.
Who is it for?
Anyone who is self-employed.
How do I apply?
This is done automatically so you don’t need to do anything. No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged if you defer payment until January 2021.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
What is it?
A refund to cover 2 weeks’ SSP per employee for absence due to Coronavirus.
Who is it for?
Employers with fewer than 250 employees as of 28th February 2020 and must have a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February 2020.
The scheme covers all types of employment contracts, including:
- full-time employees
- part-time employees
- employees on agency contracts
- employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts
- fixed term contracts.
How do I apply?
The government online gateway is now open to reclaim SSP. You can find the full guidance and the online portal to make a claim on the .GOV website.
You will need to have a record of any absences due to Coronavirus including:
- the reason why an employee could not work
- details of each period when an employee could not work, including start and end dates
- details of the SSP qualifying days when an employee could not work
- National Insurance numbers of all employees who you have paid SSP to
You’ll have to keep these records for at least 3 years following your claim.
Employees do not need to supply a doctor’s fit note in order to claim.
Time to Pay Service
What is it?
If you are in financial distress and have outstanding tax liabilities you can receive support through the HMRC Time to Pay service. Any agreements are made on a case by case basis depending on your individual circumstances.
HM Revenue & Customs’ Time to Pay service facility gives a 12 month extension to self-assessment taxpayers which means payments deferred from July 2020, and those due in January 2021, don’t need to be paid until January 2022.
Who is it for?
All businesses and self-employed people who have outstanding tax liabilities.
How do I apply?
Call HMRC on their dedicated helpline – 0800 0159 559.
Corporate Financing Facility
What is it?
The Bank of England will buy short-term debt from larger companies. This will support companies which are fundamentally strong, but have been affected by a short-term funding squeeze. It will also support corporate finance markets overall and ease the supply of credit to all firms.
It will operate for at least 12 months, and for as long as steps are needed to relieve cash flow pressures on firms that make a material contribution to the UK economy.
Who is it for?
Companies and their finance subsidiaries that make a material contribution to the UK economy.
More information on eligibility can be found on the Bank of England Website.
How do I apply?
In order to access the CCFF, you will need to contact your bank. It is important to note that not all banks issue commercial paper. If your bank does not issue commercial paper, UK Finance will provide a list of banks that are able to assist.
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Additional Support & Information
As well as the government announced support there are also various local initiatives that you may find useful. We have listed below a number of useful resources to help you and your business get through this difficult time. In addition to this there may be ways that your business can help the national effort so we have also listed opportunities to switch production to manufacture vital products.
Remote Working Advice & Toolkit
What is it?
Cosmic, a Devon – based social enterprise specialising in all things digital has launched its Business Continuity Helpline to share their knowledge and expertise with organisations in the region.
The helpline and an associated toolkit will provide advice and support on home working and managing a business during periods of disruption. The helpline is designed to support small businesses, charities and local organisations in the south west – helping them to prepare for the impacts of coronavirus (Covid-19).
How do I apply?
The number for the helpline is 0330 088 4421.
You can find further information as well as access to their remote working toolkit on the Cosmic website.
Cosmic’s team are all working remotely so will do their best to answer the phone. If you struggle to get through, please still look at the toolkit and the other sources they have made available on their website.
Secure Home Working Advice
Based in the Exeter Science Park, Securious have written a blog to secure home working for your staff through the Coronavirus pandemic.
Many companies are now actively encouraging their employees to work from home due to issues surrounding the spread of the virus. Larger organisations often already have the infrastructure and working practices in place to accommodate large scale home working by employees.
The problem many smaller organisations will have if they face the prospect of offices being closed (particularly if they rent office space in a multi-tenanted building) is that they have never had the requirement to enable home working en masse for staff, which may lead to significant issues with cyber security.
The article will cover some of the issues as well as potential solutions that organisations can implement to ensure their work-force can continue to be productive and secure when working remotely.
Read the full article on the Securious website.